Fabricated structure



Sept. 22, 1936,

W. DALTON FABRICATED .STRUCTURE Filed April l, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l v Inveto; William Dcdon, b5 i l; Y L

His Attoreg.

Patented Sept. 22, 1936 lTED STATES rrNT' oFFicE V2,055,339 v FABaroArnn STRUCTURE William Dalton, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1933, serial No. 663,972 2 claims.v (ci. mass) a slab or panel construction having more strength per pound of material than such constructions have had heretofore.

Further objects of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the constructions illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated'my invention as applied to containers used for-transporting merchandise by rail or truck`which are commonly referred to as less than carload lot containers.

Fig. l shows a perspective view of such a container, and Figs. 2 to 9 inclusive show details of its construction. Fig. 2 is an exploded View with parts broken away showing the construction of .the container; Fig. 3 is a sectional View of a Wall of the container illustrating its attachment to the roof and floor; Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the corner construction between adjacent side walls; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a foot of the l container; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the side wall of the container in which the door is located; Figs. 7 and 8 show details of the panels employed, and Fig. 9 shows in detail the construction of the grid forming part ofthe roof of the container.

Fig. 10 shows a container of modified-construction embodyin my invention, the details of which are illustrated n Figs. 11 to 18 inclusive. Fig. 11 is a View of the /framework of the container; Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing the method of assembly; Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a side wall of the container; Fig. 14 is a sectional view of. the

side wall of. the container including the door; Fig. 15 is a sectional view illustrating 'the corner construction employed; Fig.16 is a view illustrating the manner of joining the sheets; Fig. 17 illustrates a positioning clip several of which are shown in Fig. 12, and Fig. 18 illustrates its manner of use.

The walls and iioor of the container illustrated in Fig. 1 are formed of cellular panels the edges of which are closed by members constituting the framework of the container. These panels comprise spaced imperforate sheets I and.2 attached I by welding to the opposite sides of a grid formed of strips 3 and 4. As shown in Fig. '7 this grid is formed by the assembly of transverse and longitudinally disposed strips 3 and 4` which are slotted at 5 to accommodate their intersection and permit the edges of the strips to lie ilush withone another. The strips 3 and 4 constitute stiffening ribs for the sheets I and 2 and the structure formed of these sheets and strips although light in weight is remarkably strong both laterally and longitudinally and free from plate weaknesses. 5 When the panels are assembled by resistance welding, this operation is facilitated by providing the sheets I and 2 With a. plurality of projections 6 and 'I which have an .arrangement correspond- Y ing to that of the strips in the grid. It will be 10 noted that the strips are welded to the plates at 1 `their points of intersection to strengthen the strips which would otherwise be weakened by slots 5. Alternately the strips may be provided with projections. These projectionsare employed for l5'A localizing the ow of Welding current thus facilitating the welding operation. The welding operation may also be facilitated by inserting a sheet of paper between each of the sheets I and 2, and the grid formed oi strips 3 and 4 prior` to the 20 welding operation. The paper should initially insulate each of the sheets from the grid, except where the welding operation is begun.-

The edges of the wall panels are closed by channels 8, and the edgesrof the floor panel are 25 'closed by angles 9. The flanges of the channels 8 are turned inwardly and welded' to the sheets I and 2. One leg of the angles 9 is welded to each of the sheets I and 2, and the other leg extends outwardly to form a -support for the side wallsof 30' the container. The end-portions of the strips 3 andL Il of the grid structure should be welde'clto the channels 8 and 9. The welding is most conveniently performed by the metallic arc process although-other methods of gas or arc welding 35 may be employed.

The side walls of the container are supported on and welded to the extending legs of the angles 9 forming part of the floor of the container, and

y arer welded to one another by welding the chan- 40.

nels W to one another directly and through the agency of -quarter round sections It) which arewelded to each of these channels. This construction is illustrated in Fig. 4.

One of the walls of the container is provided` 45 with a door II. This door is of the saine cellular construction as the :door and side panels and comprises sheets I.' and 2 connected by intersecting interlocking strips 3 and E whose edges are integrally united throughout their 50 lengths to the sheets I and 2. The edges of the door panel are formed of a strip of metal I2 bent into a triangularly shaped section the edges of which are weldedtogether. The frame of the door is likewise formed of a strip of metal I3 55 ,50 a vent for the container.

bent into a triangularly shaped section the edges of which are welded together. The triangular sections formed by the strips I2 and I3 are so shaped as to form complementary bevels, and one of these parts preferably the door is provided with a flexible gasket i4 rendering the connection between the `door and its frame weather proof when the door is closed. A de-l ector I5 located above the door is also providedfor preventing rain or condensed moisture from running into the joint between the door and its frame. The door is also provided with hinges I6 and latches I'I. The angle member 9 forming the edge of the floor panel at the -IUS door may be deformed in order to form a bevel complementary to the level on the door as illustrated in Fig. 6 in vwhich case the door frame formed of strip I3 will extend only about the top and sides of the door. -The roof of the container comprises a grid of `T-shaped ribs I8 and I9 covered by a sheet 20. The heads or cross-pieces 'of the ribs I8 and I9 are located on the same side of the grid and the sheet 20 is attached to the other qside thereof. The edges of the roof sheet may be rounded or formed by rounded sheets ZI the depending edges of which extend over the top edges of the walls of the container and are spaced therefrom a sufcient distance to form The roof structure when constructed as illustrated forms a spacing member and buffer for adjoining 'containers which may be loaded on the same truck or car. The roof grid may be made as illustrated in Fig'. 9. As there illustrated, one lset of rib members I8 kis of T cross-section, and the other set of ribs I9 of Fig. 2 is formed of strips 22 and 23.

The ribs I8 and strips 22 are notched so that thestrips 22 and 23 may be assembled to form a grid of T-shaped ribs.

rI'he container may be provided with legs having the construction illustrated. These legs are formed of `va bent-sheet of metal 24 which is attached to the anges 9 forming part of the floor panel of the containers. Braces 25 are provided for strengthening the attachment of these legs to the-container. A metallic insert 2B may be provided at the foot of each leg in order to A `increase its bearing surfaces. A portion of the metal of the leg, may be out away and ,bent upon itself as at 21 to form a reinforcement at the opening produced thereby which may be used for accommodating lifting hooks by means of which the container may be transported from place to place as the occasion may require. By providing the container with supporting legs a lift truck may be run under the container and handling operations thus greatly facilitated. Where part of the welding operations areperformed vby the resistance Welding method it is often necessary to provide machines that are large and expensive because of their size. The panel construction of my invention may be com- 4pletely assembled by fusion welding operations and the container shown in Figs. 10 to 18 of the drawings has been made of panels which can be assembled by fusion welding which entails only the use of hand-tools. Either Agas or arc welding may be employed. I prefer to use metallic arc welding. This container also embodies characteristic novel features which distinguishes it from a container of the construction shown in ,Figs.,1 to 9 inclusive.

` In manufacturing thev container shown in Figs. 75 10 to 18 inclusivel a framework such as illustrated inFig. 11 is first constructed. The base frame of this framework is composed of angles 28 and the top frame of rounded sections 23 and angles 30 welded together at their edges to form a hollow structure as shown in Fig. 13. The top 5 and bottom frames are connected at their corners by posts formed by the assembly of angles 3l and quarter round sections 32 which are welded together at their edges to form a hollow structure as' shown in Fig. 15. 'I'he top and bottom l0 frames and posts are welded together to formthe framework. The door frame 33 is formed, as shown in Fig.: 14 of sheets 34 bent into the form of a channel which is closed by sheet 35 Welded thereto. 'I'he framework of the door is 15 of like construction, andthe channels formed of sheets 33 have complementary beveled surfaces between which a weather-tight joint is obtained by means of a flexible gasket 3S which is preferably attached to the beveled surface of 20 the door. The outwardly extending leg of the base angle at the door vmay be bent downwardly to form a complementary bevel to that of the door as illustrated at 31 in Fig. 14. The angle may be strengthened by va sheet 38 welded be- 25 tween its legs to form a hollow structural member. The framework is provided with legs 39 having a construction like that shown in Fig. 5. These legs may be attached to the base of the framework in like manner to that described 30 above, and such attachment lis shown in Figs. 10,

11 and 13.

-The container is completed by hollow cellular slabs or panels the edges of which are attached in the above framework. The panels preferably 35 comprise a plurality of spacedmetallic sheets connected by a plurality of intersecting interlocking metallic strips whose edges are integrally united throughout their length by fusion welding to-said sheets. In order to strengthen the intero locking strips they are preferably joined to the cover plates at their points of intersection. Ad.- ditional joints may be made between these points of intersection if the construction of the. container requires this. In order that the Welding 45 operation may be performed by fusion welding apparatus, the parts are assembled as follows:

A grid formed of intersecting strips 40 and 4I is supported on an imperforate sheet 42` and welded at points 43 throughout their length. The num- 50 ber and size of the Welds 43 is determined by the x shear strains vthat will be encountered in the use of the structure. The grid is then covered by a perforatedsheet 44 in which the perforations 45 have the same arrangement as the arrangements 55 of the strips 40 and 4I in the grid which they form. The number of perforations depends on the shear strains to which the assembly is subjected. They may be of any suitable size and shape. The perforations 45 in the sheet 44 are 60 held in registry with the strips 4U and 4I bymeans of clips 46. The construction -of these clips is shown in Fig. 17, and their cooperation with the parts illustrated in the sectional view of Fig. 18. Referring to these figures it will be 65 noted that the clip comprises .a bent strip of metal the end-portions of which are slotted so that the clip may straddle the grid strips attheir points of intersection. The sheet. 44 is attached to the strips of the grid by depositing metal on the grid 70 and in the perforations. The clips 46 are withdrawn from the perforations 45 as the welding operation proceeds. The oor panel illustrated in Fig. 12 illustrates the completed panel structure, and the side walls of this gure illustrate ened condition of the' strips dueto the slotsA acsassa the panel in the 'above recited .stages .oi con# struction.. l

The side walls oi the container may be formed of sheets t2 of sufilclent length to form an exterior wall for more than one side of the framework and a. plurality of grid structures `separated from one another to accommodate the wall members of the framework which may be integrally united to the inside surface of the sheet in the manner describedV above. The sheet .d2 `may then be wrapped'about the vertical posts-of the framework and attached thereto by clamping the edges of the inner walls M by angles 41 which are attached to the vertical posts by screws 48. The,

edges of these angles may alsobe welded to the sheets Eli. y This construction is shown in Fig. 15.

Likemeans are provided for positioning the roof .in the'frame formed of angles 29 androunded sections 3U, as illustrated in Fig. 13.

The adjacent edges of sheets forming the inner walls of the containerv may be Joined by a lock seam 4,9, as illustrated- `in Figs. 12. 13 and 14, and

a plurality of sheets may be joined by like seams, as illustrated-in Fig. 16, in order to iorm asheet 42 of suillcient length to completely cover the sides of the framework in forming the exterior'.

As illustrated in F18. 16

walls of the container. I the lock seams may be strengthened by welds 50. These welds may be continuous or disconf tinuous Vas required.

- The roof and iioor panels are of cellular construction and may b e fabricated in the. same manner as the side walls. The .outside wall will not, however, extend beyond the edges of the top and bottom 'ii-ames.- 'I'he 'base angles 2B are used to close the edges of the iioor panel as described above in connection with the container of Figs. l to 9 inclusive.

The containerjust described is convenientlyventilated by providing suitable openings 5l in itsI door,.although Ventilating openings maybe provided in any wall of the container.

The oors of the containers are preferably surfaced with rubber or other'suitable wear-resisting materialsiwhich may be periodically replaced when destroyed through wear or disintegration. In large containers this oor. covering is desirable in that it facilitates loading operations by furnishing a suitable footing for the workmen who are engagedA in loading the container. The intersecting strips and cover plates 4of my "improved panel form when integrally united a pluralityof intersecting H-sections or beams, in

which the longitudinalA and transversel beams mutually stiifen and strengthen the .resulting structure. The plates form the an'gesrof the H-sections andthe grid strips form the webs of the sections. By attaching the intersecting strips at their points or intersection tothe cover plates by jointsthat bridge the slots, the weaktherein is eliminated. A panel 'oi my construction may be made of equal strength both laterally and longitudinally, and by reason of the cross rib. constructionl is also free `from plate weaknesses between parallel ribs.

Itis to be noted that the interior walls of .the

container. of my construction are .smooth 'im- Vperforate walls which facilitate the maximum storage of articlesfor a given size of container.

.The exteriorwalls are. also smooth and imperforate and facilitate*handling'operations since the containers will not engage one another in of said T-irons.

locking relation when moved relative to one another as is.the case of' containers in. which the side walls have been strengthened by ribs and have protruding rivets or bolts.

By reason of the construction employed the weight of the container is greatly reduced. A

container oi standard size, '7 feet by 9 feet by 8 feet, having a construction such as illustrated in Figs. `10 to 18 weighs approximately 2,400 pounds. A container of like size constructed by previously proposed methods weighs approximately 3,006 pounds. '-Ihe decrease in weight of the container obtained by applicantsmethod of construction is of importance since it enables greaterpay-loads to be carried without increasing the size of the equipment.

Hollow slabs or panels constructed in accord- 4 4 ance with my invention are capable of many uses.

For example, they may be used as freight car ends, freight car doors, floors, ships hatches, re doors, partitions, airplane wings and the like.

Slabs or panels constructed 'in accordance with my invention have more strength per pound of `material than any now in use. The strength oi fer-red to above for joining the parts into an in'- tegral structure, it isto be understood .that other means'such as soldering or b razing may be employed to accomplish the same result. The cells may be illled with iireproof or insulating material whenever such a construction is desired.

While I have shown and described several embodiment's of my invention, it is to be understood that other. embodiments thereof may be made without departing from my invention.

What I claim as new and desire .to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

l. A container-the side walls and floor of which areA formed off cellular panels the edges of which are closed by members which are attached to one another to form the framework of said containerA and. the rdof of which comprises a pluralityv of intersectingT-irons having the cross-pieces of each T-iron located on the same side of the grid formed thereby and on the inside of said container and a cover sheet attached to the opposite side of said gridthroughout the le'ngth of each of said T-irons, said cover 'sheet havingr down-turned ledge portions and lsaid roof. beingattached to said frameworkand being of Suihcient size that the down-turned edges ofsaid cover sheet extend beyond the side walls of said container .to form .a vent for said container and act asiaspacer and buier'for adjacently positioned containers of like construction.

2. A metallicv structure comprising a' plurality of intersecting T-irons having the cross-pieces of veach T-iron located on the same side of the grid,

and a sheet integrally attachedto the opposite side oi said grid throughout the length of each DAL'I'ON.` 

